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3Bplay · 10-30-2025, 11:21 PM

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ROYALS HEADLINES
Garcia extends contract; Perez extension update

By artoodeetoo
10/22/2025

10/14 -- Royals sign infielder to extension: First broken by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and later confirmed by MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals have solidified the left side of their infield for years to come, extending All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia to a seven-year, $87 million extension.

His new deal is guaranteed for five years beginning in 2026, as the Royals are buying out all of his arbitration years plus a year of free agency. He has player options on the final two years, both worth $18 million apiece. He set career highs in nearly every offensive category, and is also a newly-named finalist for both the Silver Slugger (utility) and Gold Glove (third base).

He could also earn up to an extra $2 million in incentives per season, with plate appearance escalators worth $200,000 per 100 PA up to 500. He also has a per-year $1 million All-Star bonus.

While he has mainly played third base the last two years, the Royals' brass are reportedly considering a move to second base for Garcia. Second base is a bit of a hole at both the major league and minor league levels, and with one of their cornerstone players now in the fold for the foreseeable future, a move there would make sense.

GM JJ Picollo and the Royals' front office are allegedly very high on 2025 first-round pick Josh Hammond, a third baseman, who they think could be a 'fast-riser' in the system and reach the majors within a few years, and could look for a stopgap at third. There's not a lot in the free agent market at the position, but some veterans such as Yoan Moncada or Willi Castro could be options; or a trade for someone like Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals, who could look to unload the final two years of his deal.

10/16 -- Royals' top prospect 'off-limits' in potential offseason deals: If there's one thing about JJ Picollo, is that he's pretty brutally honest. When asked about what players he would be willing to move over the offseason, he mentioned that minor-league catcher Blake Mitchell is 'off-limits', and that any deal involving him is a non-starter.

While making your top prospect unavailable in trade talks is not unheard of, it's not common to call them out by name in an interview, even in a small-time setting such as on the radio show he was on. Mitchell is the kind of prospect that could help net a big-name return in the trade market, and pre-emptively making him unavailable may lessen the options and leverage that you have.

That is, of course, if you think he's the future behind the plate and are treating him as such. Carter Jensen, another catching prospect and Kansas City-area native, is currently slated as the other backstop to join Salvador Perez on next year's Opening Day roster, but there's talk that he may eventually end up at another position. Especially if he can develop with the bat, of course.

While Jensen is no slouch as a defender behind the plate, Mitchell is generally regarded as one of the best young catching prospects from a defensive standpoint from the last few drafts; and despite some rawness with the bat, he has shown good pop from the left side. Picollo didn't outright say it, but he alluded to Jensen getting some work at other positions next spring, saying that we 'encourage all of our young players to learn more positions", and that Jensen wasn't an exception to that.

"Blake is an ultra-talented player who has had some tough luck with injuries, but he's worked hard to get back on the field and we're seeing some encouraging signs from him even in his limited time," he said of the Royals' number-one prospect. "As far as our plans for him next year, it's likely he's going to go back down to High-A for a rehab stint of sorts before going back to Double-A, if all goes well. We have a good number of our pitching prospects that are in that range right now, and it's important for him to get a good rapport with them."

And he's right. Pitchers such as Frank Mozzicato, Hunter Owen, Henry Williams, and potentially others like 2025 draftees Michael Lombardi and Justin Lamkin along with 2024 picks Drew Beam and AJ Causey could also find their way to Double-A in 2026.

10/18 -- Royals reach tentative agreement with 2026 international prospect: 16-year-old Javier Vital, a right-handed pitcher out of the Dominican Republic, has reportedly committed to terms with the Royals on a signing bonus for the upcoming signing period.

The Royals are amongst a group of seven teams with the largest international bonus pool, as they'll have a little over $8 million to spend this upcoming season. Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Colorado, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis are the other six that also will be able to spend up to that amount.

Contracts cannot be signed and terms cannot be disclosed until January 15th, 2026, but as one of the top sixty-five players in the upcoming international class, Vital is likely to see a bonus in the low seven figures. He's the first known commitment to the Royals' international class.

Vital throws four pitches (four-seamer, two-seamer, curve, changeup), and has the ability to land them all for strikes. He doesn't have the top-end velocity, but throws with plenty of movement and has solid command for his age group.

10/19 -- Royals coach continues to pop up in managerial searches: As with last year when bench coach Paul Hoover popped up in managerial searches, another Royals assistant has become a hot name for this year's managerial search cycle.

Third-base coach Vance Wilson has been a candidate for open spots with the Padres, Twins, Nationals, and Orioles. He was reportedly set for an interview with the Giants before cancelling that one, but could still interview with the Twins and/or Orioles in the coming days per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com.

"He's definitely in that next tier of candidates," said one unnamed NL executive in Castrovince's piece. "Working with (Matt) Quatraro, (Paul) Hoover, who were in Tampa; and the success that the Royals have had recently have raised his profile, but he's probably going to need some Plan A-types to fall through to likely have a shot. Still a very good coach and baseball guy, though."

Wilson's boss, manager Matt Quatraro, seemed to agree with this executive.

"Vance is one of the best baseball minds I've been around," Quatraro beamed when asked about Wilson on his weekly radio show. "It'd be a big loss if he went elsewhere, but he deserves a shot to run his own show this year going forward. If he moves on, we'll wish him the best of luck, but we'll definitely welcome him back if it doesn't work for him this time around."

Even if Wilson doesn't get a seat in one of the remaining big chairs around the league, he could still get plucked to be a bench coach for one of the new hires as he's well-thought-of throughout the league. There's also a thought that he could eventually move down to the minors and manage the Storm Chasers after the retirement of Mike Jirschele a few weeks ago.

10/20 -- Discussions on Perez extension continue: With Maikel Garcia's extension now in the rear-view mirror, attention has turned back to whether or not the Royals will reach an agreement with Salvador Perez. Matt Quatraro on his weekly radio show mentioned that while he wasn't privy to all of the details, he said that talks were 'progressing well'.

"JJ would be the better guy to ask here, but all I know is that they feel good about where they're at and things are progressing well," he said. "Both sides want Salvy here, on our end and his camp, too. I feel good they'll get something done, but when, I don't know."

Reportedly, Perez's camp is seeking a four-year deal, but realize that is an unlikely ask. The dollar amount is less important in this negotiation this time around, and also wants to see the organization continue to add talent to try and get back to a World Series.

"He was crushed this year not getting to the postseason," Quatraro went on to add. "There's a competitive fire with that guy underneath all of the smiles and pranks that he likes to pull. He wants to win just as much as anyone on this roster."

10-30-2025, 11:21 PM	#38
3Bplay Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2018 Posts: 326	Royals News (10/22) Team Roster/Records \| Statistics \| Standings ROYALS HEADLINES Garcia extends contract; Perez extension update By artoodeetoo 10/22/2025 10/14 -- Royals sign infielder to extension: First broken by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and later confirmed by MLB Trade Rumors, ESPN, and Anne Rogers of MLB.com, the Royals have solidified the left side of their infield for years to come, extending All-Star third baseman Maikel Garcia to a seven-year, $87 million extension. His new deal is guaranteed for five years beginning in 2026, as the Royals are buying out all of his arbitration years plus a year of free agency. He has player options on the final two years, both worth $18 million apiece. He set career highs in nearly every offensive category, and is also a newly-named finalist for both the Silver Slugger (utility) and Gold Glove (third base). He could also earn up to an extra $2 million in incentives per season, with plate appearance escalators worth $200,000 per 100 PA up to 500. He also has a per-year $1 million All-Star bonus. While he has mainly played third base the last two years, the Royals' brass are reportedly considering a move to second base for Garcia. Second base is a bit of a hole at both the major league and minor league levels, and with one of their cornerstone players now in the fold for the foreseeable future, a move there would make sense. GM JJ Picollo and the Royals' front office are allegedly very high on 2025 first-round pick Josh Hammond, a third baseman, who they think could be a 'fast-riser' in the system and reach the majors within a few years, and could look for a stopgap at third. There's not a lot in the free agent market at the position, but some veterans such as Yoan Moncada or Willi Castro could be options; or a trade for someone like Nolan Arenado from the Cardinals, who could look to unload the final two years of his deal. 10/16 -- Royals' top prospect 'off-limits' in potential offseason deals: If there's one thing about JJ Picollo, is that he's pretty brutally honest. When asked about what players he would be willing to move over the offseason, he mentioned that minor-league catcher Blake Mitchell is 'off-limits', and that any deal involving him is a non-starter. While making your top prospect unavailable in trade talks is not unheard of, it's not common to call them out by name in an interview, even in a small-time setting such as on the radio show he was on. Mitchell is the kind of prospect that could help net a big-name return in the trade market, and pre-emptively making him unavailable may lessen the options and leverage that you have. That is, of course, if you think he's the future behind the plate and are treating him as such. Carter Jensen, another catching prospect and Kansas City-area native, is currently slated as the other backstop to join Salvador Perez on next year's Opening Day roster, but there's talk that he may eventually end up at another position. Especially if he can develop with the bat, of course. While Jensen is no slouch as a defender behind the plate, Mitchell is generally regarded as one of the best young catching prospects from a defensive standpoint from the last few drafts; and despite some rawness with the bat, he has shown good pop from the left side. Picollo didn't outright say it, but he alluded to Jensen getting some work at other positions next spring, saying that we 'encourage all of our young players to learn more positions", and that Jensen wasn't an exception to that. "Blake is an ultra-talented player who has had some tough luck with injuries, but he's worked hard to get back on the field and we're seeing some encouraging signs from him even in his limited time," he said of the Royals' number-one prospect. "As far as our plans for him next year, it's likely he's going to go back down to High-A for a rehab stint of sorts before going back to Double-A, if all goes well. We have a good number of our pitching prospects that are in that range right now, and it's important for him to get a good rapport with them." And he's right. Pitchers such as Frank Mozzicato, Hunter Owen, Henry Williams, and potentially others like 2025 draftees Michael Lombardi and Justin Lamkin along with 2024 picks Drew Beam and AJ Causey could also find their way to Double-A in 2026. 10/18 -- Royals reach tentative agreement with 2026 international prospect: 16-year-old Javier Vital, a right-handed pitcher out of the Dominican Republic, has reportedly committed to terms with the Royals on a signing bonus for the upcoming signing period. The Royals are amongst a group of seven teams with the largest international bonus pool, as they'll have a little over $8 million to spend this upcoming season. Arizona, Baltimore, Cleveland, Colorado, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis are the other six that also will be able to spend up to that amount. Contracts cannot be signed and terms cannot be disclosed until January 15th, 2026, but as one of the top sixty-five players in the upcoming international class, Vital is likely to see a bonus in the low seven figures. He's the first known commitment to the Royals' international class. Vital throws four pitches (four-seamer, two-seamer, curve, changeup), and has the ability to land them all for strikes. He doesn't have the top-end velocity, but throws with plenty of movement and has solid command for his age group. 10/19 -- Royals coach continues to pop up in managerial searches: As with last year when bench coach Paul Hoover popped up in managerial searches, another Royals assistant has become a hot name for this year's managerial search cycle. Third-base coach Vance Wilson has been a candidate for open spots with the Padres, Twins, Nationals, and Orioles. He was reportedly set for an interview with the Giants before cancelling that one, but could still interview with the Twins and/or Orioles in the coming days per Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com. "He's definitely in that next tier of candidates," said one unnamed NL executive in Castrovince's piece. "Working with (Matt) Quatraro, (Paul) Hoover, who were in Tampa; and the success that the Royals have had recently have raised his profile, but he's probably going to need some Plan A-types to fall through to likely have a shot. Still a very good coach and baseball guy, though." Wilson's boss, manager Matt Quatraro, seemed to agree with this executive. "Vance is one of the best baseball minds I've been around," Quatraro beamed when asked about Wilson on his weekly radio show. "It'd be a big loss if he went elsewhere, but he deserves a shot to run his own show this year going forward. If he moves on, we'll wish him the best of luck, but we'll definitely welcome him back if it doesn't work for him this time around." Even if Wilson doesn't get a seat in one of the remaining big chairs around the league, he could still get plucked to be a bench coach for one of the new hires as he's well-thought-of throughout the league. There's also a thought that he could eventually move down to the minors and manage the Storm Chasers after the retirement of Mike Jirschele a few weeks ago. 10/20 -- Discussions on Perez extension continue: With Maikel Garcia's extension now in the rear-view mirror, attention has turned back to whether or not the Royals will reach an agreement with Salvador Perez. Matt Quatraro on his weekly radio show mentioned that while he wasn't privy to all of the details, he said that talks were 'progressing well'. "JJ would be the better guy to ask here, but all I know is that they feel good about where they're at and things are progressing well," he said. "Both sides want Salvy here, on our end and his camp, too. I feel good they'll get something done, but when, I don't know." Reportedly, Perez's camp is seeking a four-year deal, but realize that is an unlikely ask. The dollar amount is less important in this negotiation this time around, and also wants to see the organization continue to add talent to try and get back to a World Series. "He was crushed this year not getting to the postseason," Quatraro went on to add. "There's a competitive fire with that guy underneath all of the smiles and pranks that he likes to pull. He wants to win just as much as anyone on this roster."